“Walk of the Town”, the Walk Everyones Talking About

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand, and it is inhabited by 6.5 million people. The population density of Bangkok is 6,450 people per square kilometer. Around 10 percent of the country’s population lives in Bangkok. According to a study, Bangkok has one of the highest motorization rates in Asia, with 388 cars and 220 motorcycles per 1,000 people. Emissions from cars and motorcycles affect the air quality in the city and increase the average temperature, which among other things makes the risk of flood higher. The Walk of the Town project was designed to address these issues. It is located in the Pathum Wan district of Bangkok, an important business district in the city. The project site is between two main stations of rapid transit, where a huge number of people walk daily. But the district has low walkability compared to most of the other areas in Bangkok.

Walk of the Town. Photo courtesy of T.R.O.P: terrains+open space

Walk of the Town

In 2012, Central Pattana Public Company Ltd. asked T.R.O.P to design the landscape of the inner courtyard for their new retail center, Groove, following an idea titled “talk of the town”. Based on the lack of walkable and safe space for pedestrians, a concept called “walk of the town” was proposed instead, to focus more on the space outside the shopping center and improve the landscape quality for pedestrians.

Walk of the Town. Photo courtesy of T.R.O.P: terrains+open space

The Main Building of Groove The main building of Groove was built on an existing indoor parking lot, the ground floor of which is five meters below the footpath. An extensive empty space between the parking lot and the footpath enabled natural lighting and ventilation for the parking lot, but guardrails were also needed to prevent pedestrians from falling. Another side of the footpath is a skyway for rapid transit, which shades the footpath.

Walk of the Town. Photo courtesy of T.R.O.P: terrains+open space

A Perfect Place for Crime Huge royal palm trees there also increased the area’s oppressive feel. Another potentially unsafe factor was that the motorcycle parking area next to the footpath allowed people to drive a motorcycle through this area. All these conditions created a perfect place for crime. See These Other Projects by T.R.O.P: terrains+open space:

T.R.O.P Proposes Several Solutions In order to decrease these negative factors, T.R.O.P proposed several solutions to improve the landscape quality. A two-meter-tall sloped green plinth was built with a light structure between the footpath and the lot. Behind the green plinth, trees (Citharexylum spinosum L.) and bushes were also planted to improve the air quality. At the same time, these plants still let in sunlight through to the ground. Even though the green plinth is not connected to the building, from the view of pedestrians, the green plinth looks like a base of the building.

Walk of the Town. Photo courtesy of T.R.O.P: terrains+open space

Clear and Safe Views The royal palm trees and motorcycle parking space were removed and replaced with an open space with hard pavements, providing a clear and safe view for pedestrians. The existing trees (Ficus benjamina) at the edge of footpath have been kept in order to provide shade for pedestrians in the heat of summer and separate the footpath from the carriageway. Sustainable Solutions The green plinth is covered with a series of local shrubs and flowers that bloom throughout the year. In addition, a sub-drainage system was built under the green plinth and the ventilation space to reduce the surface running water, which can cause flooding. The Use of Natural Lighting Natural lighting was adopted in the interior courtyard of the Groove retail center to allow plants to grow well. This also saves energy. A special curved and gentle terrain design makes trees, flower beds, seating, and sculptures link all sections of the courtyard, providing people with a friendly environment to rest and communicate.

Walk of the Town. Photo courtesy of T.R.O.P: terrains+open space

Walk of the Town. Photo courtesy of T.R.O.P: terrains+open space

Walk of the Town. Photo courtesy of T.R.O.P: terrains+open space

Everybody Wins The new footpath with the green plinth provides an attractive space to slow citizens’ steps and allow them to enjoy the view and relax in nature on their trips through the city, while bringing potential business to the retail center. The project shows that a design that focuses on people’s needs can provide happy moments for them and even change their behavior.